The General Zapped an Angel
New Stories of Fantasy and Science Fiction
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
“The General Zapped an Angel was written for fun, and offers me a chance to smile at the absurdity of human existence. Therefore, these stories of fantasy and science fiction are among the most serious writing I have done.” —Howard Fast
Nearly forty years after the publication of his first story, “The Wrath of Purple,” in the science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, Howard Fast returned to the genre with a set of nine supremely entertaining tales. In this collection, a Vietnam general shoots down what appears to be an angel, a man sells his soul to the devil for a copy of the next day’s Wall Street Journal, and a group of alien beings bestow a mouse with human thought and emotion. Fast, one of the bestselling authors of the twentieth century, skewers war hawks, oil speculators, and profit-at-all-costs capitalism, issues that are still relevant today. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Howard Fast including rare photos from the author’s estate.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The late Fast (1914 2003), best known as the author of Spartacus, marshals elements of science and fantasy into sharp social commentary in this arresting collection, first published in 1970. In the title tale, military and religious authorities attempt to contain the public relations nightmare after a combat-crazy general shoots down an angel at the height of the Vietnam War. "The Movie House" tells of an insular society of movie theater patrons that lives in denial of the world beyond the theater doors, and "The Interval" of people who discover that they are merely actors in a world of replaceable stage sets. Fast's tone is largely light and satirical and his tales firmly rooted to their time, but "The Mouse," a poignant story of a mouse trapped between its rodent nature and human consciousness after visiting extraterrestrials boost its intelligence, delves into deeper emotions, and "The Wound" and "The Insects" both explore surprisingly contemporary themes of eco-awareness. Fast's insights and acute analysis of human nature keep these half-century-old stories fresh and exciting.
